Interview: Sunny Joseph, Director, Trichur Film Festival article

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While our friends in the festival are offering us a slice of their cinema journals from the venue, we found time to interview the Festival Director Mr. Sunny Joseph. Mr. Joseph is one of the best known cinematographers from India, with a real oeuvre under his hand. He is the General Secretary, Indian Society of Cinematographers (ISC). He is also a great teacher, a filmbuff of the first rate, a film scholar, and a popularizer of cinema in the country. He was the founder HOD of the Cinematography Dept, L V Prasad Film & TV Academy, Chennai.

DearCinema: How old is the film Festival of Trichur? 

Sunny Joseph: The international film festival of Trichur started four years back. This year we are observing its 5^th edition.

DC: You call it ‘˜international'. Does that mean the festival is affiliated to FIAF? So far as we know there are only four festivals in India (IFFI, Kolkata, Trivandrum, and OSEAN) that are thus affiliated. 

SJ: No, in that sense it is not an international festival. But, by popular sense it is. We have been showing films from the world cinema - both masters and new talents, even students, since the very first edition. And major filmmakers from abroad visited the festival, with their films. Even this year we are showcasing Sri Lankan director Prasanna Vithange's latest film AkashKusum.

DC: So, what's new in this 5^th edition? 

SJ: For the first time, we're showcasing films from the North East, and from Orissa, in Kerala. We're screening works of noted filmmakers like Aribam Shyam sharma and of Gadadhar Puty. Aribam is also the Chief Guest of the festival this year. We're also showing two young filmmakers' works - that of Vipin Vijay and Verghese. Also we're screening some selected films from the three major Indian film schools - FTII, SRFTI and L V Prasad Film & TV Academy.

DC: Which films are you showing in the International Masters and Classic section ? 

SJ: In that section, we're screening Andrej Rublev, Judo Saga, and Olympia.

DC: And in the retrospective section? 

SJ: In the retrospective section, we have three filmmakers this year - two from abroad and one Indian. I've already told you about Aribam shyam Sharma. He's a major filmmaker from the North East, making films in Manipuri and Assamese both. People in Kerala never got a chance to watch his films, or for that matter anything from that side of the country. So, we are showing his films in a retrospective. We are also screening three films by the noted Egyptian filmmaker Youssef Chahine, who passed away last year; and three films by the Israeli filmmaker David Ofek. We have opened the festival with Aribam's National Award winning film Ishanou.

DC: How many films are there in the contemporary world cinema section? 

SJ: There are a total 0f 18 films in this section chosen from different countries.
DC: And contemporary Indian films from major filmmakers? 

SJ: We are showing three recent films by major filmmakers - Gulabi Talkies by Girish Kasaravalli, Akashagopuram by K P Kumaran, and Vilapangalkkappuram by T V Chandran.

DC: How many screens do you have for the festival? 

SJ: As this is a festival for the serious filmbuff and the filmmakers, we don't have the usual rabble that you see in the big festivals. We have two screens at two venues. For the 35 mm projection, we have reserved the Ragam Theatre, while we have another screen, P N Menon screen, at the Hotel Elite Auditorium, to show films made on video formats.

DC: Besides screening films, which other activities do you hold as part of the festival? 

SJ: This year we are organizing a screenplay writing camp for the school teachers in Kerala, and other States. The government of Kerala is giving a good emphasis on children's initiation into cinema studies at school level. From next academic year onwards, there's a plan to put basic cinema and screenplay studies in the syllabus.

Besides this, as part of the festival, we have organized an exhibition of paintings curated by Damodar Nambidi. This is an attempt at connecting the two visual media - cinema and painting.

DC: Is there any competition section in the festival? 

SJ: No, there is none. In the first three years there were few awards. But, now we have stopped that. This is only for exhibition of good films, and to create a platform for regular discussions and interactions on cinema. Besides, there are three regular annual film festivals in Kerala now, excluding IFFK,  in Trichur, Cochi  and Angamali. So, there is no point in keeping competition section in all the festivals.

DC: Finally, as the Director of the Trichur Film Festival, do you have any message for the filmbuff, or for the delegates? 

SJ: Yes! Major things are happening in Kerala, as regards film viewing, film appreciation and total cinema culture. As I have already said, the government of Kerala is making a move to introduce sort of cinema studies in schools. So, such film festivals which cater to a localized people in a big way can be of much help. Society is an entity bonded by a common love for life - which is, in fact, a love for one another. And, we know, Truffaut always believed that tomorrow's cinema would be based on an act founded on love. Love is the basic paradigm of all forms of communications, and can conquer all. Cinema is, till date, the most direct form of communication for the masses. I am happy that the government of Kerala has realized this.